


Endgame and Resolution

by laireshi



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Endgame trailer, Getting Back Together, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), at least suggested
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-18 09:16:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16992246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laireshi/pseuds/laireshi
Summary: “I’m sorry I couldn’t have saved you,” Steve whispers, his arms around Tony’s too thin form.Tony raises his eyes at him, something dark flashing in his eyes. “You did.” It doesn't sound like a good thing.





	Endgame and Resolution

**Author's Note:**

> Also a fill for my stony bingo card, square "remorse".
> 
> So, this is a Steve/Tony fic, and I'm ignoring that Tony was talking to Pepper in the trailer. Also, I headcanon that Tony has the arc reactor again because Steve literally broke his heart, and you'll pry it from my cold dead fingers.
> 
> I avoid any and all spoilers (watching trailers is my only exception), so please don't tell me anything about the movie!

“ _Part of the journey is the end_.”

There’s a long moment of silence and then a chair is being pushed back. Steve looks away from the screen to see Rhodey leaving the room. He wants to leave himself, scream and plead with some higher power, because it’s _unfair_ , Tony shouldn’t be dying alone in space, he shouldn’t be dying at all, and god, Steve _has to save him_ and doesn’t know how, and—

“Steve.” Nat sounds worried.

He shakes his head and hides his face in his hands. Only then does he realise he’s crying.

He’d promised Tony that whether they won or lost, they’d do it together. He couldn’t have kept even that promise.

“Can you do something, Thor?” Steve begs, but he sees the answer in Thor’s eyes before he even speaks.

***

“How long ago do you think he sent that message?” Steve asks.

Nat doesn’t answer.

 _Too long_ , Steve knows.

There’s no hope left: not for Tony, not for Steve, and not for the world. Any chance they might’ve had at defeating Thanos still died when Tony did.

Steve doesn’t even know the exact moment when he’s lost the most important person in his life.

(That’s a lie. _Don’t bullshit me, Rogers. Did you know?_ was when.)

***

When a spaceship lands in the Avengers Compound, Steve’s sure he’s hallucinating. Thanos is back and is playing his tricks. That has to be it.

But the alarms go off around them and everyone’s running to see, and so Steve joins in and sprints as fast as he can.

He’s the first one there when the door opens and two figures stumble out: a blue-skinned woman supporting a man—

 _It can’t be_.

But the man looks up, weak, and his eyes widen.

“You’re alive,” Tony lets out, and he pushes the woman away. He takes a few unsteady steps before Steve runs to him to support him.

He wants to echo Tony’s words at him. _I’ve mourned you, and you’re alive, thank God, how, what do you need, Tony, I—_

There’s something more important to say.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t have saved you,” Steve whispers, his arms around Tony’s too thin form.

Tony raises his face at him, something dark flashing in his eyes. “You did.” It doesn't sound like a good thing. He coughs, and Steve knows he’s supporting more of Tony’s weight than Tony is at the moment. “I only made it back because I had the arc reactor again. Blessing in disguise and all that, eh?”

Steve swallows, closing his eyes tight for a moment. He feels as if Tony hit him, but Tony’s _right_ , and Steve forces himself to stay still: Tony’s too weak to stand, entirely too breakable right now for all that he’s Iron Man.

The memory of his shield hitting the armour has never left him, the chestplate breaking with a terrible sound; he’s only learnt later that the force of it had been too much for Tony’s already damaged heart.

“I’m sorry,” he chokes out, but Tony doesn’t hear him: he goes limp in his arms, the effort of getting back to Earth finally overwhelming him.

Steve calls for a medic, but it’s Tony’s companion who impatiently takes him from Steve’s arms and sprints inside the building she doesn’t even know.

***

Steve waits for Tony to recover. He stands guard outside his hospital door as if anyone would attack Tony here. He asks the doctors for updates. He doesn’t go inside: Rhodey’s there almost all the time and Steve doesn’t want to intrude.

Mostly, he doesn’t want to hear Tony telling him to get out.

Sometimes Nebula comes by, throwing a glance at Steve; he wonders if Tony told her anything about him or maybe if someone else did here on Earth.

If they did and she hates Steve for it, well. That’s okay.

***

“He asked where you were,” Rhodey says one day after leaving Tony’s room.

“Did you tell him?” Steve asks.

“I don’t lie to him.”

Steve nods. Of course not.

“You should go in,” Rhodey tells him. He stands there, his arms crossed, and Steve clearly doesn’t have a choice. He walks in, unprepared and not knowing what to say.

Tony’s still very pale. There are several IV bags connected to his veins. He’s shaved, though, his goatee perfect again, and his eyes are clear.

“Steve,” he says, which is not _Rogers_ , but Steve doesn’t know how to read it. Had he ever called Steve by his name outside of bedroom before?

Steve doesn’t know anymore.

“I thought you died,” he says. “We got your message and—”

“That was dramatic, wasn’t it?” Tony quips like it’s nothing, and Steve _knows_ it’s a mask and still wants to shake him. 

“How?”

“I am very good at getting myself out of bad situations,” Tony notes. His expression clouds. “Shame I’m not as good at saving others.”

That means Peter and Pepper and countless others, Steve knows. He keeps silent.

“I’ve heard Clint’s back, though,” Tony says. “Thanos has brought the old team together.”

He doesn’t say: _oh hey a big alien attacked, I told you so_ , which he really _should_ say because he did tell them so and they all ignored him, and look at them now.

“If you had the Gauntlet,” Tony says, “what would you do?”

“I wouldn’t have lied to you,” Steve answers immediately.

Tony raises an eyebrow. “I was thinking more between _stopped Thanos before he ever approached us_ or _dealt with him now_.”

Steve shrugs. “It’s the first,” he explains. “If we stayed together, if the Avengers were ready, none of this would’ve happened.”

Tony looks away, fixating his gaze on the plain white wall. Steve wonders what he’s really seeing. 

“I’m not sure we ever could’ve prepared for that.”

Seeing Tony defeated is wrong. Steve’s regained his hope when Tony came back. Why can’t Tony do the same?

“We’ll fix it,” Steve says. “We’ll fix it all.”

“ _All_ ,” Tony quotes back, as if he catches Steve’s meaning.

“If you want,” Steve assures, and he leans down and presses a kiss to Tony’s right hand, the one without a venous line going into it. “And I know it’s too late, but, Tony Stark, I believe in you.”

Tony closes his eyes and nods.

***

When they take Thanos down, it’s Tony who wields the Infinity Gauntlet. It could never be anyone else.

And he fixes it, he fixes the world, because he’s Tony Stark and Iron Man and Earth’s best defender, and it’s what he does.

Steve and Tony, though; that’s not something they can fix magically. That’s okay, though. Steve’s willing to work on it. It’s the least he can do.

**Author's Note:**

> This fic also has a [tumblr post](https://laireshi.tumblr.com/post/181119180557/endgame-and-resolution) and a [twitter post](https://twitter.com/tonytears/status/1073705297032679424) if you want to like or reblog it :)


End file.
